Podcast Episode 67 with Anila Hussain from Pakistan. Using Social Entrepreneurship as a Tool in Pakistan to Empower Women & Girls

Driven by a strong business mindset since childhood, Anila, a national level gymnast, was raised in Karachi, the cosmopolitan fashion hub of the East. Her zest for knowledge led her to become a Montessori International Educator, settled in Geneva, Switzerland. Alongside her teaching role as a Montessori educator, Anila’s formative years were spent pursuing fashion styling consultancy in Switzerland.

Her presence in the world of fashion and glamour in Europe led to SHENANNZ becoming an international brand. Anila currently oversees the showcasing of SHENANNZ’s couture collection in Europe across fashion events and platforms such as Montreux Moda Switzerland, London Fashion week, House of iKons, Swiss Fashion week Manor, Vevey and Globus Geneva.

Anila is committed to emancipation and empowerment of impoverished women, by fostering their creativity to create sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their families. Her dream is to spread the message of gender equality through entrepreneurship and education, across the world.

Shenali Ali

A born artist, Shenila grew up expressing her creative freedom through her paintings. Passionate about bringing designs to life, she went on to win the coveted Gold Medal for her Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion in 1999 from Iqra University, Pakistan and the Star of Asian institute of fashion designand started her career as a dynamic fashion designer. Inspired by the intricate patterns and designs of her Eastern heritage, Shenila’s vision is about creating an eclectic fusion couture reflecting bold colour palettes and artistic patterns on urban attire.

Shenila’s collections have been exhibited and showcased at the Montreux Moda and GLobus, Switzerland, London and Swiss Manor fashion week.

With Shenannz fast becoming a global brand, Shenila is passionate about incorporating social aspects to her design work .She focuses on empowering women by creating livelihoods for them and also by generating funds to educate their children.

Her creativity carries a strong message of women’s emancipation, her struggles serve as an inspiration to those who dare to dream. She conducts various workshops internationally, emphasizing the strong connection between the world of fashion, fusion couture and women’s emancipation.

In this podcast episode Anila shares with us how she and her sister are using entrepreneurship via fashion to empower women in their native Pakistan!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

The Family Story

The story behind the brand

Life in Pakistan

What is a social entrepreneur

Women empowerment through social entrepreneurship

MORE INFO ON ANILA AND SHENALI

Anila and Shenali are two sisters driven by a strong purpose and desire to support women and girls in their native Pakistan. Through their brand Shenannz they are doing just that. Listen in to this podcast to hear the story of Anila as she discusses her business that she has been building with her sister, their struggles and why they are committed to empowering woman and girls. Anila also shares with us the challenges of building a socia enterprise in Pakistan and how she and her sister are overcoming and exceeding despite the odds.